Top 20 Natural Monuments around Waasmunster

The lookout tower in the Fondatie van Boudelo nature reserve is a design by the young architectural firm Baeten Hylebos Architecten. The tower stands diagonally relative to the avenue amidst the undergrowth, a few meters from the path. In the Architecture Book Flanders N°14 (2021), it is poetically described as follows: In the doorway "light seeps in through the cracks of the planked walls and falls onto a staircase that winds invitingly around the central column. The walk upwards already offers, here and there, some perspectives on the surrounding natural beauty. For this purpose, the planks of the wall conveniently lie in a horizontal articulation. At the top of the stairs, the true reward awaits: an impressive tableau of fields, ponds, forests, birds, and if you're lucky, a leap of deer."

When you think of nature in Lokeren, you immediately think of the Molsbroek! It is the largest protected nature reserve (more than 80 hectares) in the region. Many visitors seek out the peaceful watery landscape. Enjoy at your own pace.

Cycling along two nature reserves: Molsbroek and the Buylaerts...

The wheel is privately owned, but you walk right past it (on the Victor De Witstraat). No one knows for sure how the Hingenewiel was formed. We know that the Spierenbroek flooded around 1552. After failed attempts to close the Spierenbroekgat, the other polders flooded in November 1554, because the pladderdijk broke. We suspect that this is how the Hingenewiel was formed. A pladderdijk is a cross dike that runs from the stream through the polder (so not along the river). This large wheel was originally even larger, probably the Ketelwiel used to be part of this wheel. In the middle of this wheel was an island with a tower on it. The Hingenewiel became smaller due to natural silting up. Kingfisher, grebe, coot, moorhen, gadwall and shelduck breed here, among other things. But you can also admire fire damselfly, ostrich fern and yellow water lily here. (Regional Landscape Schelde-Durme)

The redevelopment of the duck decoy is part of the Berlare Broek-Donkmeer nature development project. This project fits in with the vision of the Berlare municipal council to give the popular Donkmeer and its surroundings a contemporary look. The site of the duck decoy was given a thorough makeover. It was redeveloped with respect for the most vulnerable zones and remains open to the public. (Public space database)

The small white building near the duck decoy, the cage house, was never a home, but the decoy man could warm himself by the fireplace, store his maintenance materials, temporarily store the captured ducks and possibly also spend the night in a sleeping alcove during a busy fishing period. This cage house burned down in 1995 and was rebuilt in 1997. On an old picture card, depicted on the information board against the wall of the house, published around 1913, we see the cage man Sander Goossens with his dog at the then cage house. The huge poplar near this cage house served as a beacon in the landscape: this way, flying ducks that had previously stayed here could recognize this place from afar. Source: information board on site

The Oude Durme is a young nature reserve of 3 hectares on the right bank of the Durme, between the village centers of Waasmunster and Hamme. The last reed cutters in our country were active in the reed fields here until after 1960. The reeds they cut here were used to make mats and cover roofs. Even though the professional activity has disappeared, some of the reed fields are still mowed as part of nature management. This gives other, often rare plant species such as the spider marigold the opportunity to grow. (Routen.be)

When you think of nature in Lokeren, you often think of Groot Molsbroek. It is a fairly large nature reserve (122 hectares) by Flemish standards with optimal accessibility. The promenade offers a beautiful view of the diverse nature: a vast swamp plain with numerous water birds, alder breeches, river dunes, reed beds and moist grasslands. On the walking and cycling dyke you will find information boards, 3 fixed binoculars that can be used free of charge and an information point.